


Partner, Lover, Family

by Blodeuwedd



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: 7x11, M/M, canon-divergence, mention of Monica's suicide attempt and death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 23:06:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11046231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blodeuwedd/pseuds/Blodeuwedd
Summary: Ian makes a different decision at the border with Mexico aka how I wish it had happened.





	Partner, Lover, Family

Ian watched in silence as Mickey fought back the tears and got into the car. This was it. It was over, for good this time. Mickey was going to Mexico, running away from the police, and Ian couldn’t go with him. He had thought he could, but he couldn’t. A life running and hiding, that wasn’t who he was anymore. He was better than that. He was stable. He was taking his meds regularly, he had a routine, he had a job that he really enjoyed doing, that felt important and that he was actually pretty good at. It was all he’d ever wanted from life. All except… He watched as Mickey put on the wig that would hopefully help him get past the guards. If he got caught… If he got caught, he’d be back in jail, but he still would be around, and Ian promised himself that he’d visit Mickey every week. But then again, if he  _ didn’t _ get caught… Then Ian would never see him again. Never see his eyes staring back at him with love, never feel his soft lips between his own, never feel the warmth of his embrace and the way their bodies seemed to fit together flawlessly. Never. Ever. Again. 

 

Something snapped in him, and he rushed in front of the car, nearly getting run over as Mickey started pushing the car forward. He looked at Mickey through the windshield and his blue eyes were wide. 

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Mickey’s voice was muffled by the glass, but still pretty audible. Ian gestured for him to wait and quickly rounded the car to the passenger door, which was still unlocked, at got in.

 

Mickey was staring at him, mouth agape. He licked his lips as he examined Ian. 

 

“I’m sure”, Ian nodded, replying to the unspoken question. “When I said this isn’t me anymore, I meant the illegality of it. I don’t want to do things that could land me in jail anymore. Or at least, I’m going to try. But hey, what’s one more, right?” He smiled feebly at Mickey, but his attempt at humor was met with glistening eyes. Mickey pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, forcing himself not to cry.

 

“Right”, he sighed. “Let’s do this, Gallagher.” He turned to grip the wheel again, but Ian stopped him with a hand on his.

 

“Wait, hold on.”

 

Mickey huffed. “What now?” 

 

“Let me drive. I actually have legal documents, and I’m not trying to pass as a woman. It’ll be easier if I do the talking.”

 

“Yeah, except you’re the worst liar in the world.”

 

“No, I’m not! I’m great at charming people.”

 

Mickey snickered. “Yeah, sure, Don Juan.”

 

Ian pouted. “All right, fine. You drive then.”

 

Mickey shook his head and moved over Ian. “Nah, you do it. It’ll look more normal that way. Women don’t drive cars if there’s a man who can drive inside.”

 

Ian frowned as he slid into the now vacant driver’s seat. “That’s sexist.”

 

“The world is sexist”, Mickey shrugged. “Now come on, hit the gas, Louise.”

 

“Thelma.”

 

“What?”

“Louise is the one fleeing to Mexico. I’m Thelma, you’re Louise.”

 

“Do I look like I’ve watched the damn movie? Also, who gives a fuck? Just drive already!”

 

Ian could sense Mickey’s nervousness, and he had to admit he was pretty nervous himself, but he tried to calm his boyfriend down. He put his hand on Mickey’s bouncing knee and Mickey nearly jumped.

 

Ian smiled tentatively. “A kiss for good luck?”

 

Mickey sighed, his face relaxing as Ian drew him closer till their lips touched. The kiss was brief and sweet, and Ian kept Mickey’s face between his palms once it was over.

 

“I love you”, he whispered, making Mickey smile.

 

“I love you too”, Mickey whispered back.

 

Ian grinned and pulled back, turning the ignition on again and driving off. 

 

He told himself to relax as they went through the barrier, and took Mickey’s hand into his own to keep him steady as well. He pushed every negative thought away from his mind and just focused on getting through. In the end, it was much easier than they could have predicted. They had their documents checked and were cleared to go through within seconds. The barrier went up and soon enough Ian was driving them through, safe and sound.

 

He heard Mickey release a long breath beside him and chuckled.

 

“Yeah, me too.”

 

“Damn, that was nerve wracking!”

 

“But we did it. We did it, Mick.”

 

Mickey looked at him and smiled. “We’re free.”

 

Ian smiled back at him. “We’re together.”

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Ian stared at the phone buzzing in his hand. Mickey and he had stopped in a town nearby, ditched the car, and were now making their way by bus to another town he’d also never heard of.

 

“You’re gonna pick that up?” Mickey asked, moving closer to check the caller ID, which read ‘Lip’.

 

Ian shook his head. 

 

“Good. I don’t think that’s very wise considering… you know.” Mickey gestured around the bus.

 

Ian smiled weakly. “Yeah…” He lowered his voice. “Should probably get a new number too.”

 

Mickey nodded. “Or just get rid of the phone all together.”

 

Ian pouted, looking at the phone and remembering a time when his whole family had had to share a flip phone. “But it’s a good phone…” he whined, just as it started to vibrate again, this time showing Fiona’s name.

“Man. They really want to talk to you, don’t they?”

 

Ian sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. “Well, I don’t want to talk to them though, so…” He took Mickey’s hand into his own, slightly surprised when his boyfriend didn’t pull back.

 

They turned to look out the window, watching the unknown scenery. They had bought tickets on the first bus available, not even bothering to know where it would lead them. That didn’t matter anyway.

 

Ian’s phone buzzed again and he sighed, taking it out of his pocket. It was a message this time; it looked like his siblings had grown tired of trying to call him. He opened the message and quickly read over the two words:  **Monica’s dead** .

 

He froze, staring numbly at the bluish screen. Memories of Monica rushed through his head: Monica baking cookies for the;, Monica burning cookies because she’d forgotten she’d put them in the oven; Monica cheering for him on baseball games; Monica curled up in bed; Monica telling him she loved him and how beautiful he was; Monica trying to slit her wrists during Thanksgiving; Monica’s warm embrace, her sweet voice, her shining eyes… 

 

He only realized he was crying when a tear fell onto the screen. He sniffed and Mickey looked back at him, immediately frowning. “What’s wrong?”

 

Ian couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud, so he simply turned the phone on his palm so that Mickey could read it.

 

“Shit.” Mickey squeezed his hand tighter and kissed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ian.”

 

Ian nodded and sighed, still unable to form words, his mind reeling.

 

“You should go home” Mickey said after a few minutes.

 

_ That _ startled Ian into action.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Your family needs you, you should be with them. It’s not too late for you to go back. You need to go  _ home _ , Ian.”

 

Ian shook his head. He didn’t even need to consider that to know it wasn’t true. “No, Mick.  _ You _ are my family and  _ you _ need me. I  _ am _ home.”

 

Mickey gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand before turning back to look out the window. Ian slouched down on the seat and rested his chin on Mickey’s shoulder. He thought briefly about how he’d always felt closer to Monica than to Frank, even before his diagnostic, and wondered if that was because Frank wasn’t his biological father. That made him realize that Monica had been his only blood tie with his family, and now she was gone. He loved his siblings, but with Monica dead it was like his umbilical chord ad been cut for the second time. Her dying was, in a strange way, almost a metaphor for him leaving his family for good and building a new one with Mickey. 

 

Ian chuckled and Mickey turned his head to look at him, frowning. Ian shook his head, answering the silent question. “I love you”, he whispered into Mickey’s ear. He wiped the last of his tears and kissed Mickey’s head. His mother was dead and he might not ever see his siblings again, but that didn’t seem to matter much right then. As long as he had Mickey, his lover, partner, family, he knew he’d be all right.

 


End file.
